Teenage Trials
by Velocity3127
Summary: Marino High has had some interesting experiences before, but Brooke brings the drama to a whole new level. What happens when it causes Austin and Ally's relationship to start falling apart? Who can be blamed for anything anymore?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: It's been a while since I've posted on fanfiction, partially because I've been super busy with robotics and school (I had 6 tests last week and 3 this week), but mostly because I've been lacking inspiration. School must really be getting to me, because this new multi-chap is based on the play** ** _The Crucible_** **(which I studied in English, of course). This is just another Auslly story. I hope you like it!**

* * *

"Hey, Austin," Brooke said flirtily.

He grimaced. It had been three years since they'd dated for a short time, and they'd broken up pretty quickly. It was senior year now, and he was happily dating Ally. He loved her (Ally, that is), and under no circumstance would he ever choose Brooke again. He had made a mistake once already, and he wouldn't do it again. But he didn't know what he was doing in an empty Marino High classroom with his ex-girlfriend and no one else around.

"Brooke, _please_ leave me alone." he said firmly. "I'm dating Ally, and I told you to leave me alone years ago."

"But I _know_ you still like me," she implored. "Come on, Austin, you know you want to be with me."

"I _don't_." he emphasized. "Leave me alone! I told you already! Why won't you listen to me?"

" _Pleeeeeease,_ " she whined, advancing toward him and unashamedly getting way too close.

Austin grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back. "Go away!"

"Touching is a sign of physical attraction, Austin," she said, seemingly challenging him.

He groaned and let go of her. "Stop it, Brooke. Whatever you say, nothing ever happened between us."

"Don't deny it, Austin,"

"I am denying it!"

"Come on, just accept the truth, you like me-"

"I do not!"

* * *

"Austin, are you okay?" Ally said, walking up to her boyfriend. "You seem really worried."

"I'm fine, I just... I don't really want to talk about it." he said at last.

"Okay," she replied, frowning. "Well, do you want to work on a new song? Now that Jimmy's finally letting you perform again, we should come up with something."

When he didn't reply, she pulled the piano bench that he was sitting on, turning him around to face her.

"Um, okay, we can work on the new song," he mumbled.

She sighed but didn't say anything as she sat back down next to him. She knew something was up, but didn't want to pressure him when he didn't want to say anything.

"So, what did you think about my chorus idea?" she asked.

"Um, it's good, I guess," he replied unhelpfully.

She sighed again. "Austin, if you're going to be sulky all day, I don't know if we can get this song done. Will you tell me what's up, or should we just reschedule?"

"Brooke tried to talk to me today," he blurted quickly.

"Aw, she's an annoying one, isn't she," Ally replied sympathetically. "What's wrong? Did she say something mean? Austin, you know Brooke's insane. Don't take anything she says too much to heart. Just ignore her! Don't be so serious-"

She suddenly stopped and frowned, remembering their longstanding drama with the brunette. Brooke never liked them, and they never liked her. Well, Brooke liked Austin, but...

"Austin, did she _do_ something?"

"No, not exactly..." he replied.

Ally turned to face him, deadly serious now. She knew something was up, and she didn't like that Brooke had to be a part of it. He was hiding something, and it had to do with Brooke. That was never a good sign. She would never suspect that he would give in to Brooke, but he was definitely uncomfortable.

"Austin, what did Brooke do?"

"She didn't do anything," he replied, semi-truthfully. "She was being her normal annoying and clingy self. She just kept bothering me."

"If it's really uncomfortable, we can probably report her for harassment," Ally suggested. "It'll be okay. Don't let Brooke get to your head. You don't need to worry about an annoying girl."

"I guess," he replied unconvincingly. "We can work on the song now. I'm sorry for being so bothered about this. You know I love you, and nobody's ever going to get in the way of that."

She smiled a little and hugged him. "That's sweet, Austin. You can come to me for anything."

"Do you have any ideas for a new song?" he asked, changing the topic.

"Well, I came up with a cool chorus melody," she offered. "Do you want to hear it?"

He nodded. She sat down at the piano next to him as he turned back around to face the keys. She played a short melodic motive, and he could immediately tell that the song would be less lyrical and more rhythmic. He liked that idea. It seemed to be the type of music he gravitated to more recently. It seemed to calm him more than the sweet love songs they had written in the past.

"Do you have any ideas for lyrics?" Ally asked.

"Well," he replied, "I was thinking something about starting over. Starting again. Since this is going to be my comeback concert and everything. I'm starting new."

"That's a good idea," she said, smiling. "How can we turn that into some catchy lyrics?"

"Can you play that melody again?" he asked. "Maybe we can think of something if we hear it again."

She nodded and played the short melody again.

"It's not much to work on," she admitted.

"It sounds great." he told her sincerely. "But since it's so short, can you play it again? You know how it takes us a while to figure out good lyrics."

She smiled, nodded, and played the melody again.

"Take it from the top!" he exclaimed.

She laughed at his enthusiasm, and started playing the melody once again.

"No, I mean, we can call it 'Take it From the Top'!" he exclaimed. "Would that work?"

"Yeah, that sounds so cool!" she replied, writing in her songbook. "That could totally work!"

"Take, take, take, take it from the," he sang, "take, take, take it from the top!"

"Hey, that's a great intro!" Ally exclaimed, frantically writing. "This is awesome!"

They continued to work on the song, having more fun than they'd ever had while songwriting. Their song was coming along very well, and Austin couldn't be happier. Suddenly, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He quickly checked it, and his mood dampened. He frowned.

"What is it?" Ally asked, peering over his shoulder. "Brooke? I thought you got a new phone and blocked her contact? How did she text you?"

"I, uh, nothing," he replied, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "I don't know. That's really annoying."

He quickly went into Brooke's contact and clicked 'block'.

"Austin, is Brooke up to something shady?" Ally asked suspiciously. "She seems to be causing a lot of trouble for you lately."

"No, she, uh, I mean," he stuttered, turning to face away from her. "Nothing. It's nothing."

"Austin," she sighed with an air of concern. "What's wrong? You can tell me anything. I won't intervene. I promise. But Brooke really seems to be worrying you."

"Ally," he said quietly, then stopped.

"What is it?"

"Remember, a couple months ago, when you were really busy with writing songs for yourself and I couldn't perform and I was just working at the music factory?"

She nodded. "What does this have to do with Brooke?"

"Well, every time you had to leave the music factory to work on something with Ronnie Ramone or write songs or pretty much do anything that didn't involve me," he said, then paused. "Brooke would always show up and demand that we get together."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" she asked. "Did she eventually stop?"

He shook his head. "It happened every day. I didn't tell you because you would just worry about me. You were too busy working on stuff for yourself. So I had to put up with Brooke."

"That sounds awful!" Ally exclaimed. "But what does this have to do with her getting your phone number? I thought you hated when she texted you!"

"Well," he sighed. "She said she would bother me less if I gave her my phone number and didn't block her. So I did."

"Reasonable," she said. "Although it must've been extremely annoying!"

"It was!" he replied. "And the thing is, she bothered me _less_ , that's for sure, but she still came every couple of days to the music factory. And she bothered me a whole lot by texting me. A lot."

"She's so annoying!" Ally exclaimed. "Although it does sound like something she would do. I'm sorry, Austin. I wish I could've helped you earlier. You could've told me, you know. However busy I am, I'll always have time for you."

"Thanks, Ally." he replied, then sighed sadly. "But that's not all. I mean, she... she..."

"What happened?" she asked in concern.

"I... I told her to stop bothering me." he replied hesitantly. "And she said that if I went out on a date with her, she would stop bothering me afterwards."

"Let me guess," Ally sighed, "you accepted. I don't blame you, I really don't. But she didn't stop bothering you afterwards?"

"No, she did," he replied, surprising her. "But it was during the date... during the date, she kept annoying me and asking super personal questions. The whole time, I felt super guilty for going on a date with her while I was dating you. It didn't _feel_ like a real date, obviously, but the concept still bothered me."

"I don't blame you," she replied sincerely. "I'm not mad at you, believe me. Don't feel guilty. I know you were only there because you wanted Brooke to stop bothering you."

"Yeah, but then..." he continued, "I told her to stop annoying me and asking me personal questions. And she wouldn't stop. She told me that... that to get her to stop, I would have to kiss her."

Ally's eyes widened. "And... did you?"

He looked away from her. "I... did, Ally. I'm sorry, I really am! It was awful! I've never felt more guilty in my life. I wish I'd just put up with her daily visits. At least I wasn't feeling bad about myself, only annoyed at Brooke. Ally, I'm so sorry."

"I..." she said, "I... honestly can't blame you this time, either. I know you only meant the best for yourself. I can't believe Brooke. I don't blame you, Austin."

Eventually, after an awkward silence, they continued working on their song. Their moods, however, were dampened for the rest of the night. They didn't talk to each other, except about the song. They never smiled, laughed, or showed any signs of happiness. Because this would change their relationship, and it was scary. It might never be the same again.

* * *

 **Author's note: I hope you like it so far! I know it's not the best thing I've ever written, but I'm running out of inspiration so this is the best I could come up with for now. Hopefully I can update soon, but the chances are that I'll be super busy for a while. In the meantime, constructive criticism is appreciated! Any suggestions, ideas, or feedback! I'll take it all! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: here's is the next chapter! This is also a bit of an intro chapter like the last one, but it'll lead into the plot. I hope you like it!**

* * *

"Ally, you've got to forgive him." Trish sighed. "Sure, he made a mistake, but we all know he still loves you. And you still love him."

It had been two days since Austin had admitted to his girlfriend that he had kissed Brooke, and Ally still denied that she was ever mad at him. Trish and Dez had been trying hard to get them back together, but it wasn't working. This time, Trish had cornered Ally at recess at school.

"I'm not mad at him," Ally told her best friend. "What's there to forgive? I'm not blaming him."

"Then why are you so cold towards him?" Trish argued. "You've barely talked to him these last few days, and when you do, you glare at him! That's no way to treat your boyfriend!"

"I don't glare at him!" she objected. "We're _fine_. I don't know why everyone thinks there's all this tension between us!"

"Maybe because you never talk to each other and you treat each other like the worst exes?" Trish suggested. "Look, Ally, I don't really want to argue right now, but you know I'm right. You need to forgive Austin."

She walked away, shaking her head and mumbling something about being unreasonable. Ally sighed. She didn't blame Austin for anything! _He_ wasn't talking to _her_ , that was all. He was ignoring her, so she was ignoring him back. Yes, that's what it was.

"Attention, Marino High." Mr. Conley called over the loudspeaker. "Third period is cancelled. Please head to the gym promptly for an important announcement that will take place during your scheduled third period classes. Thank you."

A mixture of groans and cheers were heard throughout the halls as students left their lockers and headed for the gym. Ally followed them, noting Austin more than a few steps away, talking to Dez. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but it definitely looked like they were arguing. She frowned. Austin and Dez rarely argued, and when they did, it was about something stupid, like which Zaliens were their favorites. This argument looked serious.

Little did she know, they were arguing about her.

"Austin, you made a mistake." Dez said. "Now Ally won't talk to you, and it looks like your relationship is pretty much doomed."

"But I love _Ally_ , not Brooke!" Austin exclaimed, loudly, but not loud enough for Ally to hear. "I don't know what to do, Dez. I messed up."

"You have to go apologize to Ally!" he replied.

"I already did!" Austin exclaimed. "And now she hates me. I don't know what this means for our partnership, Dez, let alone our relationship. And what about the A&A Music Factory? And my whole career?"

"Hey, as of right now, you don't _have_ a career." Dez interrupted. "But worry about other things first. If you really can't convince Ally that she's the one you love, then I don't really think there's anything you can do to make it better. But you've got to try, buddy! If you really love her, you have to work to earn her love back! Just because she doesn't love you now doesn't mean she hasn't loved you before or won't love you later. You have to work to earn her love back."

"I don't know if I can do it," he replied quietly.

Dez was wrong. That wasn't a surprise. Dez was often wrong. But as Ally watched Austin become gloomier and gloomier, his face downcast, she couldn't help but remember how much happier he used to be when they were together. And she realized that she _still_ loved him. He was ignoring her, and for some reason, he was sad, but she still loved him!

Who was she kidding, she knew why they were ignoring each other. Trish was right. She was mad at him, but she still loved him. She just couldn't get over the fact that he kissed another girl. She knew he still loved her, but she also knew he liked Brooke. Why would he have kissed her, even if it meant she would stop bothering him? He had to get _something_ out of it. The thought made her uneasy.

* * *

"Marino High, we have something very serious to talk about." Mr. Conley announced. "It has come to our attention, through an outside source, that a member of the Marino High community has been up to some trouble outside of the school."

There was a bit of chatter, but Señora Gomez was able to shush them.

"Before I go into details, I first want to say that Marino High does not tolerate bullying, harassment, or misbehavior of the sort within or outside of school. Any student found committing these acts will face punishments including suspension, expulsion, or even legal action." he announced. "An anonymous source has reported an unknown Marino High student for multiple acts of harassment."

 _Austin should report Brooke_ , Ally thought.

"If you have any information or reports, please tell any teacher immediately." Mr. Conley continued, "This is a very serious issue and we hope to get down to the bottom of it soon."

He put down the microphone, and immediately, students began to chat amongst themselves. Some appeared uneasy, knowing that someone who had committed a serious offence was among them. Others began to point fingers, suspicious already. Ally was silent, finding no one around her to talk to, and seeing Coach Simmons walk up to the microphone.

On the other side of the gym, Dez began to talk to Austin.

"Buddy, you should report Brooke." he said. "She was awful to you."

"I don't know," Austin replied. "It's not a big deal."

"It is!" he exclaimed. "What she did to you was harass you, and that's against school policy and probably also against the law! You could send her to jail!"

"Why would I want to send her to jail?" he asked.

"You can prove to Ally that Brooke is a terrible person and that you never liked her!" Dez replied.

"That's true," Austin reflected. "But this isn't about me and Ally. Dez, this is something more serious than just two people in a relationship. _Multiple acts of harassment_ , Mr. Conley said. This shouldn't just be about me and Ally. It's about the whole community."

"This isn't about you and Ally!" Dez said. "It's about all of Miami! All of Florida! All of the world! If Brooke just broke up you and Ally's relationship, she just ended Austin and Ally for everyone in the world!"

 _It shouldn't be about fame_ , Austin thought. _This is unfair. Why is Brooke such a horrible person, and why are there so many horrible people in the world?_

"Marino High, be quiet!" Coach Simmons boomed. "Now, we have some workshops about protecting yourself and others. We want to build a safer and more positive environment, and to do that, we need to help everyone in the community."

All of the students groaned. These sorts of "workshops" happened fairly rarely at Marino High, but when they did, they were some of the dullest and unhelpful things the students had ever participated in. Even Ally sighed a little.

She was a little worried, though. It had never really occurred to her that what Brooke was doing to Austin was anything more than a personal issue and an annoyance. Now, she realized that it could be something more that could get people in trouble. Ally, herself, of course, would never get in trouble for anything, especially not anything she didn't do. But she was worried for Austin, whom she knew would possibly lie and blame himself for things that Brooke did if it meant that it would save his friends.

It was with that thought that she realized that Austin still probably cared for her, somewhere deep down, even if they were ignoring each other. Even if he loved Brooke, Ally would always be his friend, his best friend. But he would do anything to protect her, and that could get them in trouble.

* * *

 **Author's note: I hope you like it so far! Unfortunately, the next updates are probably going to take longer (and I am aware that this was a while - has it been a few days? Weeks? I can't really remember). In the meantime, if you have any constructive criticism or feedback, I would really appreciate it to progress this story in a good way:)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: sorry for the absence from fanfiction! School has been crazy busy and I also watched the Olympics nonstop. The only thing I've been writing is this essay for English, which coincidentally happens to be on** ** _The Crucible_** **(which is the play that this fic is based on). Anyways, I hope you like this new chapter! Any feedback is appreciated!**

 **P.S. The part at the beginning on self-defence is stuff that they made us learn in gym class at school, so it should be correct. Sorry if it's not.**

* * *

"Alright, kids, in light of the recent concern of harassment in our community, we've decided to dedicate this gym class to self-defence." Coach Simmons announced. "Now, harassment is _not_ the same as assault. Harassment can be verbal and non-physical, while assault _is_ physical. However, harassment often leads to assault, so I'm going to teach some basic self-defence skills to avoid being assaulted."

"So we're just going to learn martial arts?" someone called.

"No, we're not." he replied. "In fact, quite different. We will be learning what to do if you're attacked, and what to do to get away. This is not martial arts. Now, girls are statistically more likely to be harassed and assaulted, so all the girls, make sure you pay attention."

Trish frowned. She was a strong young woman, and she didn't like to think that girls would always be the victims of harassment and assault. In fact, she knew that Brooke harassed Austin, and Brooke is a girl. Glancing next to her, she realized that Ally thought the same.

"Firstly, if someone grabs your arm, what do you do?" Coach Simmons asked. "Anyone know?"

A few hands went up.

"Yes, Ally, what do you think?"

"Well, I read in a book that you should try to twist your wrists to get out of their grasp, because it will be hard to hold on to you if you're twisting your wrists." she answered.

Everyone turned to look at her in surprise. Ally Dawson was never the athletic type.

"Actually, that's only partially right." Coach Simmons replied, surprising the students even more. "Now, this will work if you try it with a friend, someone who isn't really attacking you. But in the event of an actual assault, it's likely that the person attacking you will be much stronger than to let go if you simply twist your wrists. So you need to distract them first. Now, does anyone have any ideas about how to distract an attacker?"

"I know! Why don't you sing a song!" Dez called.

The class laughed and Coach Simmons sighed. "No, Dez. Anyone else? Trish?"

"Well, if you're being attacked by a guy, you can kick him in the crotch!" she suggested, violently kicking her leg as a demonstration.

"Yes, well, that would work." Coach Simmons sighed. "You could also poke your attacker in the eye."

Some girls, including Brooke, and a few boys, mainly Dez, squealed in disgust. Ally looked a little frightened, while Trish smiled eagerly. Austin didn't seem to be paying attention.

"Alright, so if your arm is being grabbed, poke your attacker in the eye and twist yourself away." Coach Simmons said. "Then, run away and call the police. Now, we will be practising getting away from an attacker. I'm going to pair you up randomly and then you'll have to take turns being the attacker and the victim. Please meet with your partner as soon as I call you out. Trish and Brooke, you're a pair. Chuck and Dez, you're a pair. Dawson and Moon, you're partners."

He continued to name pairs as Austin and Ally reluctantly met. They glanced awkwardly around, not making eye contact, as they watched Trish stab the air violently in preparation for the activity.

"Trish!" Coach Simmons exclaimed. "Please don't actually stab Brooke in the eye! Now, everyone, please don't _actually_ stab your partner in the eye. Just fake it, and the attacker should loosen their grip when the fake stab happens. Alright? You can start."

Austin and Ally slowly turned to face each other, staring each other down.

"I can be the attacker first," Ally offered tentatively.

He nodded and held his arms out, and she slowly reached out and wrapped her small hand around his right arm. However small she was, she wasn't weak, though. She knew it, and he did, too. She braced herself for the fake stab in the eye, but when it came, it came so fast and so hard that she jumped and he wrenched his arm out of her grasp. She gasped in surprise. She knew it was coming, but she never saw it coming.

"Wow, Moon, that was lightning fast action there!" Coach Simmons commented. "Have you ever taken self-defence classes before?"

He shook his head. "No, Coach, this is my first time."

"Well, you've got unusually fast coordination!" he replied, nodding in approval and moving on to the next pair to observe.

Ally slowly held her arms out, signalling that they could switch roles and practise. Austin slowly reached a hand out to wrap around her tiny wrist. She braced herself for the painful squeeze that she knew was coming, but it never did. His hand wrapped loosely around her arm. She shifted uncomfortably, not knowing if he was mocking her strength or just making fun of her, or if he was afraid to hurt her. She looked up, about to question him, but he was the one who spoke first.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I wish I could make things better, but... I don't know how."

She looked up slowly at his face, which was full of remorse. His hand slid down to hold hers, and he gave it a quick squeeze. She shivered at the contact, something that she wasn't used to for the past little while.

"I'm sorry, too," she replied. "I overreacted. I know you were only trying to do what was best for yourself. You never meant any harm."

He shook his head. "I really didn't. I know you may never fully forgive me, Ally, but can we just be friends again?"

She nodded emphatically and gave him a quick hug as he squeezed her hand again. They hadn't fully forgiven each other, but it was a start. It was going to be a battle to regain each other's trust, but in each of their hearts, they knew they could do it.

"Come on, kids, keep working on the self-defence!" Coach Simmons exclaimed.

* * *

"So, how's it going with Ally?" Dez asked his best friend. "Are you back together?"

They had just left the gym after class, and Austin was feeling significantly happier than he had throughout the entire week.

"Well, no, but we're friends again," he replied.

Dez sighed. "That's not _good enough_ , buddy! Come on! Take some initiative! Tell her how you feel!"

"Dez, I have to take this one step at a time." he replied. "Ally still doesn't fully trust me, that's for sure. And she definitely doesn't love me yet. Right now, we're just friends, and that's okay."

"Fine, I won't intervene," he said, stepping back and putting his hands up in demonstration. "But remember, I'm the _Love Whisperer_. If you need any help getting back together, I'll be here!"

Austin laughed. "Thanks, Dez."

Suddenly, he looked down the hall and saw Ally walking toward them. He smiled and waved instinctively, then put his hand down, unsure if she was going to respond. Instead, she walked right up to them.

"Hi Dez!" she said cheerfully, then added, "Hi Austin!"

She gave him a quick hug and walked past, getting to her next class.

He smiled. Everything was going to be alright.

* * *

 **Author's note: I hope you liked it! Sorry that it was a bit short and maybe a bit disconnected from the whole story. I haven't written for a while and I feel like I'm still a bit out of it. I'll start on the next chapter as soon as I can, but in the meantime, constructive criticism is appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: Sorry for the slow update again. I've really just been writing sporadically so I'm not sure how this is really going. Feedback on the flow of this story is really appreciated!**

* * *

Austin was daydreaming when a knock sounded on the door of his Spanish classroom. Señora Gomez sighed and walked over, opening the door. Mr. Conley stood there, carrying an official-looking binder that said "Marino High".

"Hola Mr. Conley, how can I help you?"

"Can I please talk to Austin Moon?" he asked.

"Of course," she replied, turning to face the class. "Austin! Please go talk to Mr. Conley."

Austin nodded and got out of his seat and walked to the door.

"Austin, please follow me to my office." Mr. Conley said, closing the door of the classroom and leaving Señora Gomez to teach her class with one less inattentive student.

They walked through the empty halls in silence as Austin followed Mr. Conley to his office. As soon as they arrived, Mr. Conley closed the door, sat at his desk, and motioned for Austin to sit down.

"Now, Austin, you're not in trouble, but I would like to know some things from you."

Austin nodded.

"Now, I'm sure you're aware that there are some reports of harassment within our Marino High community that we would like to address." Mr. Conley said. "Unfortunately, we have received an anonymous report from one of our students that points to you as one of these offenders."

He gasped. "That's impossible! Mr. Conley, I know I might not be the best student, but that's just downright nasty! I would never do such a thing!"

"No, no, I'm not accusing you." he replied quickly and comfortingly. "But if this claim is false, would you have any idea who would do such a horrible thing as to lie and say this about you? I'm not saying that they're the ones accusing you, either, but we're trying to see who would likely know more about this."

Austin bit his lip. He knew who it was. Brooke, the little troublemaker, was always out to get him. He never understood her. She was just insane. But telling Mr. Conley wouldn't help him, because she would just find all sorts of ways to lie and get her way, and he would just get in more trouble.

"I'm not sure," he replied at last. "There are some students who haven't been the nicest to me, but I can't see them accusing me just to be mean. Maybe Dez will have a better idea. We always hang out."

" _Dez Wade_?" Mr. Conley asked, incredulous. "How would he know anything you don't? He's even dumb- I mean, he wouldn't know!"

"Yeah, I guess he wouldn't," he reflected. "Well, I'm sorry, Mr. Conley, but Dez is the most likely person to have any idea."

* * *

"Why would anyone say that Austin harassed them? I mean, he's such a cool guy! He's smart, he's athletic, he's funny, and he's smart!" Dez exclaimed.

Mr. Conley sighed and pressed his fingers to his temples. "Look, Dez, I called you here because Austin said you might have some idea as to who sent in this report. Whoever did probably doesn't care if you think Austin's smart."

"But he is!" Dez continued, "And he's a rockstar. Do you think he can really afford that kind of publicity? Whoever accused him is _obviously_ lying. And the only liar I know is Brooke. Hey, maybe it was Brooke who accused him!"

"Look, Dez, this isn't some kind of game or joke." Mr. Conley replied. "If you're not going to give me a straight answer or if you say you don't know, you can go back to class."

"But I gave you an answer!" he protested. "I said, it's probably Brooke!"

"But do you _know_ it was Brooke?" Mr. Conley asked, growing more and more skeptical and doubting his decision to bring in Dez. "You just think it's her, on whatever hunch you have."

"Look, Mr. Conley, it couldn't have been anyone else." Dez replied in full seriousness. "So it's either Brooke, Chuck, Miles, Elle, BB, Trish, Sun Hee, Piper, Aaron, Brittany..."

"Dez!" he exclaimed. "A second ago you said it was definitely Brooke. Now you're naming random kids. What are you trying to tell me?"

"I don't know, Mr. Conley," he replied, seemingly totally serious. "All I know is that I could be anyone!"

Mr. Conley shook his head and sighed. "Alright, Dez, I'll go question every student at this high school. Please go back to class. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Mr. Conley!" he replied cheerfully. "Happy to help!"

Mr. Conley sighed.

* * *

"Apparently someone accused Austin of harassment!" Dez exclaimed loudly to Ally and Trish. "I mean, that's ridiculous! Austin's famous! He can't afford to have that kind of publicity!"

"Look, Dez, it's not that simple," Ally tried to explain as she watched a small crowd gather around, whispering.

"Is it true?" Elle asked, walking up to them.

"No!" Ally and Trish exclaimed at once.

"Oh, because there's this huge rumor going around that Austin harassed a bunch of girls at a performance before he stopped performing," Elle told them matter-of-factly. "I had such a crush on him! Who knew he was such an awful jerk?"

"He's not an awful jerk!" Ally defended him. "And it's not true! Who told you that?"

She shrugged. "Everyone's been talking about it."

"Everyone? Like who?" Trish asked, stepping forward.

"Like... everyone. Literally all of the kids in the school." she replied. "I guess everyone's just avoiding talking about it in front of you guys, since you're Austin's friends. But he's actually a jerk."

"Look, Elle," Trish said sternly, "no matter what everyone's saying, it's not true. We know Austin better than anyone else at the school, and it's just some stupid rumor that some jealous guys or girls are trying to spread. Stop spreading it. They're all wrong, and you _know_ it. Don't you, Elle?"

Elle just stared at her, shook her head, and walked away with her friends.

Ally sighed. "Trish, this is terrible! Everyone obviously believes the rumors, and Austin's reputation will be ruined right before his big comeback show!"

"I think it's worse than that," Dez chimed in, looking at his phone.

"What is it?" Ally asked. "Wait, is it something irrelevant that we don't need to know right now? Never mind, Dez. Tell us later."

"No, but-"

"Not now, Dez!"

"Austin's comeback concert was cancelled!"

"I told you, not now- wait, what?" Ally exclaimed. "Cancelled?"

"Yeah, he just texted me." Dez explained, "Someone got the rumor out that Austin harassed a bunch of girls at that club that he was going to perform at, and the manager banned him from ever returning! Jimmy's stopping him from performing for another 3 years now!"

"What? That's terrible!" Ally exclaimed. "That's not fair! Austin didn't do anything!"

"Hey, Ally, I know," he replied. "I'm not _stupid_. But some people are. Like the club owner, and Mr. Conley, and Jimmy, and everyone else who believes those rumors."

"But... Austin's comeback concert was cancelled?" she said in disbelief. "He's not going to perform for another 3 years? We have to expose the truth and find out who started these rumors!"

"Yeah! Let's be detectives!" he agreed enthusiastically.

"This isn't a joke, Dez!" she said. "Someone's out to spread lies about Austin, and it's endangering his career. The truth _must_ prevail. It's not fair otherwise."

* * *

 **Author's note: Sorry again for the slow updates. Spring break is near, but I'm not sure if I'll have that much time then to write, either. I'll try, but the next update might also take a while. In the meantime, please leave feedback on either this chapter or the whole story in general! Or my writing style, or really anything in general:)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: I don't know about you, but I'm not super happy with how this story's going so far. I wrote this chapter and I feel like the plot's not really going anywhere, but I'm trying to turn that around in the next few. Sorry that this is taking so long.**

* * *

Austin sat impatiently in the comfy chair in Jimmy's office, waiting for him to arrive. Jimmy had cancelled Austin's comeback concert amid harassment accusations, and also prohibited him from making music for another three years. Austin was determined to prove to Jimmy that he was innocent, though. If he could, it wouldn't be too late to regain his reputation. Although a few select people who greatly influenced Austin's career knew, the general public didn't. His fans were told that Austin needed a bit more time to work on his music for the concert, which was true, but also less than half of the story.

"Austin, I am very disappointed in you." Jimmy said, walking in briskly and closing the door.

"Jimmy, it's not true! Some people were spreading rumors! I would never harass a girl in my life!" he exclaimed.

"Mm-hmm. Austin, it's a miracle we've been able to keep this conversation down to between only a few people. What would happen if the public found out? You were a role model for kids everywhere! What would happen if they found out their hero inappropriately treated girls?"

"But I didn't!" he insisted. "Jimmy, I'm telling you, they're false rumors!"

"Then prove it!" he replied. "Try to find an easy way. A lawsuit would complicate everything. But if we need to, you have the tools to file one."

"I've already been to court once before," Austin said. "When Val stole our song. How bad can it be? It's the easiest way to expose the truth!"

"Austin, this might seem simple to you, but it's not." Jimmy sighed. "You're not defending your right to a song, you're defending your innocence to harassing your fans. Who will be accusing you? Right now, no one in particular. You don't want to bring someone forward as the accuser when you don't have to. You say they're just rumors, then figure out who's spreading them and get them to stop. Convince people who have heard that it's all fake. Then it's all good."

"They won't believe me! If someone's accused of something, they'll obviously defend themselves, innocent or not. I can't just tell people I'm innocent! And what happens when they get the word out online? Then I'll still have to take it to court!" he exclaimed. "There's no point in trying to convince them now."

"Austin, in the end, it's your decision." he replied. "But this is my advice, and you can choose whether or not to follow it. That's all I have to say to you, but you're still not performing for another 3 years."

"What if I prove I'm innocent?"

"Then you can talk to me."

* * *

He returned to the music factory, defeated and tired. The whole factory was empty, except for Ally, upstairs in the practice room. He followed the sound of her piano and entered. He sat down next to her and began to explain what Jimmy had said as she listened patiently.

"I'm so sorry, Austin," Ally sighed, hugging him comfortingly, after he had finished. "I wish I could do something to fix it, but I think Jimmy's right. We need to take this one step at a time."

"But my whole career's a mess now! I had a comeback concert planned! I can't disappear for another 3 years and say that we couldn't come up with any new songs! They'll all hate _you_ for it!" he exclaimed.

"Austin, don't worry about me," she replied. "Right now, we need to find a way to prove your innocence and get that concert going again."

"How are we going to prove that I'm innocent?" he asked.

"We'll just have to talk to people," she replied. "It'll be hard to get them to believe us, but once they do, they'll be on our side. It's not going to be easy, and it's going to be a huge blow to your reputation, but it's the only way. Is that okay? Are you willing to do that to your reputation?"

"I'd rather have that than all of the kids in Miami think I'm that awful guy," he said. "It's the best thing I can do."

"Right now, it's just you, me, Trish, and Dez." she told him. "Who do want to get on our side? Who would be a good ally?"

"I don't know," he replied. "Like, everyone?"

"Okay, well, what about Kira?" she asked. "She's Jimmy's daughter, so if we can convince her that you're innocent, maybe she'll be able to help us convince Jimmy? He's pretty important to your career."

He nodded. "What about Carrie? Do you think she's on our side? Would she believe Dez?"

Ally's face lit up. "Right! Carrie and Piper are trying to tell their friends that you're innocent. Piper... knows you better than some other girls, and Carrie is our really good friend. They'll definitely help us out. And maybe Piper can convince Kira that you're innocent! They're pretty good friends, after all."

"That's a great idea," he replied sincerely. "Thanks for being amazing, Ally."

"I'd do anything for you," she told him, just as sincerely, kissing him on the cheek. "I love you, Austin."

"I love you too, Ally."

* * *

The next day, Ally went up to Piper at school.

"Hey, Piper," she said.

Piper turned around, surprised to see Ally behind her. They weren't really close, considering Piper had dated Austin before he broke up with her to be with Ally. Still, they didn't dislike each other, especially since Piper's sister, Carrie, was dating Dez.

"Hey, Ally, what's up?"

"I was just wondering if," she said, "you could talk to Kira and some of your other friends and try to convince them that Austin's a good guy? Because someone accused him of harassment. But they're lying! Austin would never disrespect a girl. You know that, don't you?"

"Yeah," she replied. "He might not be my best friend, but, you know, I know enough about him. I'll talk to Kira."

Ally smiled with relief. "Thanks so much, Piper."

"No problem. We're all on truth's side here."

All of a sudden, they were interrupted by the sound of a loud group of girls approaching. They were obviously trying to spread rumors about Austin, or at least talking loudly about him. Ally groaned in despair. There were so many girls that any, all, or none of them could have started the rumors. They were just making the situation worse.

"Ally?" a voice behind her said.

She turned around and saw Mr. Conley standing behind her with an official-looking binder.

"Hi, Mr. Conley." she said.

"Ally, can you please come to my office?" he asked. "Follow me."

She nodded and followed him down the halls. Her mind was spinning with possibilities. She couldn't possibly be in trouble, yet it was unlikely that he was going to tell her about some academic award or achievement. She could only think of Austin. But it couldn't possibly be about him?

As soon as they arrived at Mr. Conley's office, he motioned for her to sit down. She did, and looked up at him for an explanation.

"Ally, as a close friend of Austin's, I'm sure you're aware of the harassment allegations against him."

She nodded, surprised.

"He was unable to provide an explanation or an idea of who could have accused him, and Dez Wade... didn't make much sense, but do you have any ideas?" he asked.

She frowned. Of course, she had her suspicions, and she was known as a bit of a tattletale, but she didn't want to tell Mr. Conley anything that might not be true.

"Mr. Conley," she replied, "I don't know for sure, and I don't want to say anything that could be wrong and get people in trouble, but people always liked Austin. There wouldn't really be anyone to lie just to get Austin in trouble."

"Are you saying, then, that the allegations are true?" he asked, astonished.

"No!" she exclaimed quickly. "I didn't get to finish. There are, however, a few people who act a little... strange towards him."

"And those would be...?"

"Well, Brooke has always annoyed him," she replied. "She's also been one of the students who has really been talking about those rumors. I'm not sure if you've heard in the halls, but everyone's talking about it. It's only a matter of time before they start spreading information online, and then the whole world will start to get involved. You know, this is really hard for me, as Austin's friend, but so much harder for him, especially with his career on the line-"

She stopped when she realized that she was rambling.

"Thanks, Ally." Mr. Conley said. "I'm going to go talk to Brooke."

She looked up at him and realized that he actually believed that Brooke was responsible for the whole mess. She was pleasantly surprised, but she hoped that she hadn't just ratted out someone totally innocent. She didn't want it to be a lie. Otherwise, she wouldn't be any different from Austin's accuser. The thought scared her.

* * *

 **Author's note: I would say I hope you liked it, but since I'm not super happy with this chapter, I'd really appreciate some constructive criticism so that I can improve this story to something half-decent:)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: Here is the next chapter! Due to the fact that I admittedly have not been watching Austin & Ally recently, I realized that this plot is centered around season 4 and Carrie should have left for LA, but she's still at Marino High in this story. I don't think anyone noticed or cared except for me, but that's just a detail that I wanted to clear up.**

* * *

A few days passed and the media began to explode. Despite Marino High's efforts, rumors quickly spread online, where fans began to take sides. Many believed in Austin's innocence, but many were skeptical. Mr. Conley had questioned Brooke, who had denied starting or spreading rumors, or even having any relations with Austin other than as students of the same school.

It didn't take long for Marino High to start investigating. Almost every student was called to Mr. Conley's office within the span of a few days, and other teachers also began to become involved. Many students admitted that they had only heard the rumors and didn't fully believe either side of the argument. Those students were largely left alone after their meetings with Mr. Conley. Some students, mostly Brooke's friends and Kimmy's squad, started to express their suspicion about Austin. Mr. Conley took note of who they were, in case conflicts arose and he would need to talk to them again.

Other students, led by Ally, Trish, Dez, Didi, Carrie, and Piper, enthusiastically supported Austin and tried to convince the uncertain students of his innocence. Mr. Conley recognized that most of these students were Austin's close friends, but also noted that there were some students who were trying to fend off the accusations.

The frenzied school life continued during these days, but Austin was allowed a few days off to avoid too much social tension. He thought of it as being suspended from school.

"How's it going?" he asked Ally after school one day.

Away from school, he didn't know how his friends were doing with defending him, or what other people thought of him. He avoided the internet, because he was upset every time he saw his loyal fans turning against him.

"I think Mr. Conley's questioned pretty much every kid in the school by now," Ally told him. "Piper's doing a great job convincing people that you're innocent. Kira doesn't openly support us, but I'm pretty sure she believes that you're innocent. She's probably not going to talk to Jimmy, though. On the plus side, Coach Simmons is trying to get people to stop spreading rumors until anything's proven."

"That all happened today?"

She nodded. "It was a _busy_ day."

"Thanks for doing this for me, Ally," he said suddenly. "You know you don't have to."

"Well, if I don't, who will?" she replied. "You're out of school, so you can't defend yourself, and as your girlfriend, best friend, and partner, I feel I have every responsibility to defend you."

"Thanks, Ally. That means a lot. But don't take it too hard on yourself. You have your career to focus on, too."

"And I also have _your_ career to rescue!" she exclaimed, not angrily, but despairingly. "Austin, you're so much more than just my partner. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't save your career."

He sighed. "See, Ally, you're being too hard on yourself. Even if everything goes spiralling downhill from here, I'm not going to think any less of you. I'll still love you and I hope you'll still love me. My career is my responsibility, and if I can't save myself, it's not your fault. Everyone who started spreading rumors is responsible, but there's nothing we can do to make them feel guilty."

He pulled her into a hug, knowing that nothing else he said would help the situation. He knew it was going to be tough, but Ally was a fighter and he couldn't stop her. That was one of the many reasons why he loved her, but that didn't mean that he was worried for her. She didn't deserve the hardship of protecting him, but she did it anyway.

"I'll always love you, Austin." she replied. "No matter what happens, you're always the most important to me."

* * *

"Ally, why are you still defending Austin?" Brooke asked her the next day at school. "Everyone knows that he's obviously cheated on you over the years, and his career's over. You're just making it harder for yourself!"

Ally practically seethed with anger. "Austin deserves the world, and you _know_ you're the one spreading the rumors and they're not true! I'm trying to bring the truth forward and you're just trying to shut me down! But you can't stop me from defending Austin, because he's a _good person_ and he's innocent. He can't be here to defend myself, and since obviously no one else will defend him, I took it upon myself to. And you can't stop me, no matter what it does to my own career, because this is so much more than that."

"But Ally's not the only one on Austin's side," Trish said from behind her. "Brooke, I don't know how many people you've convinced of lies, but we're on the side of truth here. And Marino High _will_ bring the truth forward. The world will realize how amazing Austin really is, and you'll be left behind as the one who caused all of this trouble."

"Me?" she laughed. " _I_ caused the trouble? Come on, you guys were Austin's friends, and that's why you're defending him. What about those reports that Austin really did harass all of those girls?"

"They're anonymous!" Trish exclaimed. "They're easily fake, especially since no one's come forward as the writers. They don't mean anything. I bet you wrote them!"

"I don't even know why you're still on Austin's side, Trish." Brooke replied. "Even if the accusations are false, you at least know that he cheated on Ally tons of times. Isn't Ally your best friend? Shouldn't you be standing up for her?"

"Austin would never cheat on the love of his life!" Trish exclaimed. "How dare you say that!"

She was ready to physically attack Brooke when Piper pulled her back, screaming that Austin was faithful and would never deceive Ally.

"I know because he broke up with me when he realized that he still liked Ally!" Piper exclaimed. "Do you know why I'm still on his side? Because he's on the side of truth!"

"Yeah!" Carrie chimed in. "Austin's cool! Unlike you, Brooke!"

The once-quiet hallway had already increased in volume to a roar, as more and more students took sides and continued arguing.

Ally was quickly silenced by the crowd, unable to hear her in the growing chatter. She waved her arms around and yelled, trying to get everyone's attention. No one saw or cared.

"Austin would never cheat on any girlfriend!" Dez exclaimed. "Except for you, Brooke! He cheated on you with that European supermodel! Except that didn't even count, because-"

"Just ask Ally!" she screamed back, enraged by the mention of her former relationship with Austin. "Austin cheated on you, Ally! Did he tell you?"

"Why would you know?" Trish yelled. "First of all, it's a lie, and second of all, why would you, of all people, know?"

Ally tried desperately to get her voice heard, but no one even turned to look at her. Brooke's reasoning just seemed too wild.

Suddenly, a booming voice startled everyone and made them turn around.

"Everyone be quiet!" Austin exclaimed.

"Austin, buddy!" Dez broke the small silence. "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming to school anymore!"

"Look, everyone, I know what you've been talking about. And only three people here, myself included, can provide a straight answer. Brooke, who won't, because you won't believe her. Ally, who can't, because you won't listen to her. So I'll tell you."

Everyone started talking to one another, some more confused than others.

"This is only going to work if you let me speak," he said, instantly silencing everyone again. "I didn't harass any girls at a club, or anywhere, or anything like that. Before you start grumbling, let me keep explaining. In fact, and you won't believe me, but I was the one being harassed. I won't say by whom, but it was someone we all know. I felt sick every time I saw... her. But she pressured me to cheat on my girlfriend and just kept relentlessly pressuring me. I didn't know what to do. I wasn't strong enough to stand up for myself. I caved in to the pressure. You have no idea how bad I felt every time I was with Ally, knowing that I was being unfaithful. She helped me realize that it wasn't my fault, but by that time, all the crazy rumors started spreading. Br- the girl who harassed me, was able to take advantage of me and spread a bunch of lies and file false reports."

Half of the students stood in shock, unable to believe what Austin had just shared. Others began to chatter and try to figure out whether he was telling the truth.

"How do you know all of this? That the same girl who harassed you was the one who started spreading lies?" B.B. challenged.

"I don't, not for sure, but I've been doing some investigating during my time away from school." he replied. "I know at least that the two people are very close, if not the same. And knowing my harasser, she doesn't know anyone that close to plan this whole thing together."

Everyone burst into more chatter as they started trying to figure out who the girl in question was. Then Carrie came to a realization.

"Well, who was it?" she asked. "Who was the awful girl?"

"Well, I might get in trouble for saying this, but it was-"

"Kids!" Coach Simmons bellowed. "What on earth is going on? Austin Moon, you've decided to come to school and you have to sign in with the front office! We need to know for attendance purposes! Recess is over; go to class!"

Some students muttered as they headed to their next classes. Others loudly protested, only to have Coach Simmons yell at them. Austin had immediately left for the school office, grateful for the opportunity to leave the questioning. He wasn't going to stop talking until his name was cleared, but he didn't want to expose Brooke just yet. He was scared of her, and he needed help.

* * *

 **Author's note: I hope you liked it! I wrote most of this in one sitting so I think that helped a bit. I'm not really sure, though, so your feedback is really appreciated:)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: Sorry for the very slow update! I was away for a bit during spring break, then I had a bunch of school projects and trips, meaning that I didn't really have time to write. Finally, here is the next chapter.**

* * *

"Do you believe what Austin said?"

"Is he just making it up to defend himself?"

"Is he just trying to cause drama?"

"Have you talked to Ally?"

For the next few days, Marino High buzzed with more rumor and suspicion. Most students now supported Austin, choosing to believe his story, and only a few students outside of Brooke and Kimmy's squads were still openly suspicious. Even so, many students who supported Austin didn't fully believe him, causing doubt and uncertainty all around.

"Do you really think that Austin's telling the truth?" Kimmy challenged a group of students one day. "First a bunch of different people report him for harassment, he leaves for a week, and he comes back with this story about how _he_ was harassed? It's absolutely insane!"

"But it's almost too crazy to be untrue," Aaron replied tentatively. "It's not that I believe him, or that I believe you, but Austin Moon's never really been the type of person to make up a crazy lie. Especially since it could ruin his career if it's proven false."

"Career? What career?" Brooke scoffed, joining the conversation. "Jimmy Starr stopped him from performing for whatever reason, and now his comeback concert's been cancelled. Do you really think anything can save his career?"

"If anyone can, it's Ally!" Carrie exclaimed, appearing from a nearby crowd of students and addressing the smaller group. "But Austin's career isn't the most important right now. We need the truth to come out, and Brooke's trying to make it harder for us. But lies aren't going to get you anywhere! Aaron, Brittany M, Pam, all of the rest of you... even if you don't believe Austin right now, you will by the time the truth comes forward. Mark my words!"

"Carrie?" Brooke laughed. "Since when were you such a _wise_ proponent of all things ethical?"

"Proponent? Ethical? I don't know what any of those words mean!" she replied cheerfully. "But I'm done talking to you right now. You seem to be awfully gloomy today, and even though you're laughing, you don't seem very happy. Be happy! Life is great!"

Carrie skipped away to meet Dez, as it was the end of the school day and they were going to practise knitting together. Brooke rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, who would believe her? She's so weird. Austin's just trying to get people on his side, and if that means the most airheaded girl in the school, he's desperate enough. Doesn't that say something about him?"

Some kids nodded in agreement, but most were tired of listening to Brooke's rant and decided to walk away, especially since it was the end of the school day. Pretty soon, only Brooke's friends and Kimmy remained.

"Hey, Brooke, I'll talk to you later, but I have cheerleading practice! And Carrie's right, you should be a bit more positive! See ya!"

Brooke sighed. She never really liked Kimmy, but somehow she didn't believe Austin, so they were temporarily friends to convince the school that Austin was guilty. Deep down, Brooke knew that what she was doing was wrong. She was trying to spread a lie and deceive the entire school community. She knew the impact that it could have, that it was already having, on Austin's global fanbase. She wasn't remorseful. It made her happy to know that less teenage girls were flinging themselves at him.

Brooke was no idiot. Austin and Ally were dating, but she had already seen how easily Austin gave in to manipulation. Ally wasn't the problem, though. He was. By starting to talk about his experiences with harassment, Brooke realized that there was no way he would actually shut up. She would have to get him to really, truly like her, in order to deflect all accusations against herself. Right now, there was no doubt that Ally, Trish, Dez, and all of their friends were trying to expose her, but she wasn't worried. There was no way they could prove that she wrote all the anonymous reports, or prove that she was Austin's harasser. Only Austin could prove that, and he wouldn't, because he was too scared of her.

 _Scared, or something else?_ she thought.

It was pretty far-fetched, but she was hoping that Austin really had some feelings for her and wouldn't expose her, no matter how much it would save his own reputation. Of course, there was a fear aspect. She knew that he knew what she could do to further damage his reputation, being the manipulative person she was. He was being cautious, and rightfully so.

Contrary to popular belief, Brooke wasn't crazy. In fact, she was quite sensible and logical when it came to achieving her goals, and right now her goal was to get Austin to like her. But she was also incredibly determined and ambitious, and would stop at nothing to achieve her goals. Usually, that meant that she would appear to be crazy. Austin already thought she was a bit crazy, but she didn't mind. He acted like a little kid sometimes, anyway, so they weren't too different. Plus, he was also ambitious and determined, like her.

However, the main difference between the former rockstar and his relentless stalker was that she was willing to hurt others to benefit herself. Heck, hurting Austin meant that she was one step closer to getting him to like her, so she had already done it. She had no idea how many restless nights Ally had suffered from worrying about her boyfriend, how much more teasing and insulting comments Dez had endured from hanging out with the shamed singer, and how many detentions Trish had received for shouting in class about Austin's innocence. Brooke didn't care.

 _"Nothing ever happened between us,"_ Austin had said.

She had pondered those words for many weeks and thought about exactly what he could have meant. They had once dated, obviously, and that wasn't what he meant. Did he mean that he never had feelings for her? She doubted it. He clearly liked her back before he ever saw Ally as anything other than a friend. Did he mean that he was going to pretend that he never had feelings for her? He was already doing that, so probably not. The only explanation she could come up with was that he was just saying that to get her to go away, and he didn't even mean anything by it. That explanation didn't satisfy her.

All she knew was that she was going to have to work twice as hard, now that Austin had started talking about his experiences with harassment. She didn't _think_ that what she did was harassment. She was only working to achieve a goal, but obviously he thought it was. First, she would have to convince most of the students that he was just making things up. She had already started that. It was a small setback, but Brooke was determined.

 _It won't be easy for Ally,_ she thought.

At least, that's what she thought.

* * *

 **Author's note: I hope it was okay! I know this chapter was a little different, showing some of Brooke's perspective. I think it's really important to consider both sides of the story, especially if you don't agree with one perspective. I think this story will be over in a few chapters, but I'll see how it goes. The next month is pretty busy for me, but I'll try to update soon enough. In the meantime, constructive criticism is appreciated!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note: Sorry for the slow update (again). April is a really busy month.**

* * *

Only a few days had passed and Brooke had become more determined than ever. Unfortunately for her, Austin was no longer afraid of speaking up for himself. He had not named his harasser, but with his friends' help, he had gained the support of many more Marino High students. Brooke's few friends left her, and even Kimmy now sided with the ruined pop star.

Sun Hee and her student-council friends had set up a harassment-protection program at the school, and when they announced its launch one day, many students and all teachers applauded them. However, one student in particular openly did _not_ approve.

"Harassment-protection program?" Brooke exclaimed. "That's so stupid! Just another annoying student-council thing. They'll do anything to suck up to the teachers. Why would _any_ of us need an _anonymous, non-judgemental peer helpline_?"

She said the last part in a mocking tone, and Ally frowned. Sun Hee had just announced a great new student initiative, and of course, it was Brooke with the first criticism.

"I don't want other students have to suffer through what I did," Austin said, glaring at her. "This will ensure that everyone has support when they need it."

She just rolled her eyes and walked away. Austin sighed. He didn't even know, at this point, what Brooke had against him. He knew that for a while, she was trying to seduce him so that he would start to truly like her. It never worked, at least, the part about truly liking her. He really didn't like her, and especially not now, when everything she did was in an attempt to ruin him. It was working, that is, ruining him, but it wasn't getting him to like her at all.

"Just ignore her," Ally said softly.

He nodded, but it was ironic. It was impossible to ignore Brooke. Everything he did in the past few weeks was to expose her, and he was too far in to stop. If he stopped, Brooke would be able to do anything to him, his friends, and the entire school. There was no one else to fight back.

* * *

After school that day, Team Austin and Ally met at Shredder's along with Carrie and Piper. Even though they had many more supporters in the "Austin vs. Brooke: Fight For Truth" (as Dez called it), not many of them knew much about the real truth behind it all.

"Austin, when are you going to tell people that it was Brooke?" Piper asked. "You already have so many people on your side, I'm sure they'd support you if you told them the truth."

"I don't know if they would believe me," he admitted. "It would just seem a little too coincidental to be true. I'm almost thinking we have to bring the truth forward... without bringing the _whole_ truth forward."

"I disagree!" Trish interrupted, pounding her fist on the table. "It's time to expose Brooke as the lying, manipulating, evil snake she is! I say you should tell the world! Brooke deserves it!"

"Trish, we can't be mean about it," Ally said. "I agree with Austin. We have to be careful, but I also agree with Piper. I think we have to tell people that it was Brooke. Even if we can solve it now, it'll come back in the future if we don't expose Brooke soon enough. Besides, even Trish is right. Brooke deserves it."

"It's true," Dez chimed in, Carrie nodding next to him, "Austin, if you want to win the 'Austin vs. Brooke: Fight For Truth', you're going to have to _win_. And you're not winning the fight for truth if you're not telling the whole truth. I think you should tell people about what Brooke did."

"Okay, I guess you guys are right." Austin finally said. "I sort of knew it all along. I just don't want Brooke to get even madder and lash out at me even more. I don't know how much more of her I can take."

"We're all here to support you, Austin." Carrie replied comfortingly. "If Brooke's ever mean, or hurts you, or hurts anyone, we'll be here to support you and get her in trouble."

"Yeah, we'll expel her from the school!" Trish exclaimed, standing up excitedly. "Maybe she'll even go to jail!"

"Whoa, okay, calm down," Ally said, pulling her friend back into her chair. "One step at a time. Maybe Brooke will apologize, or realize that what she's done is wrong. Then we'll be alright. We don't have to send her to jail."

"It would still be fun," Trish pouted.

Everyone else shook their heads in disagreement.

"Fine, it wouldn't be fun, but she would deserve it."

"Fair enough," Austin said. "Okay. Thanks for supporting me, guys. You're all great. I can't imagine how I would be able to pull this off without all of you. Especially Ally. I'm sorry for everything that you had to go through to help me out. I should never have given in to Brooke in the first place."

Ally gave him a hug. "I'm here to support you, no matter what. That's what best friends are for. And we couldn't have done it without all of the rest of you. Trish, Dez, Carrie, Piper... you guys are awesome. Especially Piper. Thanks for everything. I know we didn't really get along in the past, but I think we all have similar interests right now. Thanks for supporting us."

"Hey, if my sister's going to stand up for Austin, I might as well. You guys are pretty cool. I think we can do this, I think we can expose Brooke."

Everyone smiled. And for the first time, they really believed that they could.

* * *

It wasn't easy. It wasn't like Austin could just go to school and announce that Brooke had threatened him into giving her his number, going on a date with her, kissing her... At any rate, he didn't want people to find out that he'd kissed her. The thought repulsed him.

 _How could I have possibly given in to that?_ he asked himself, disgusted.

He tried some subtler methods. When other students pressed him for information, he left little hints, acting completely oblivious to what he was doing. Pretty soon, people had deduced that his harasser was one of his exes. The main contenders were Brooke, Kira, and Piper. Some students recalled the European Supermodel he had once dated, but they figured she was probably back in Europe.

Some people had trouble believing that it could have possibly been Piper who hurt Austin. After all, Piper was openly on Austin's side, and he seemed to appreciate her as a friend. He wouldn't expose his friend, would he?

Almost everyone agreed that it had to be Brooke or Kira. Brooke was a bit of a maniac, and it made a lot of sense, considering she was still obsessed with Austin. She blatantly denied the accusations, however, and it just seemed too coincidental given the current situation.

Was it Kira? No one really knew. When asked, she wouldn't say anything, and she didn't support either Austin or Brooke, really. Some students argued that Jimmy Starr canceled Austin's concert because Kira said something about it. It made logical sense.

A few students didn't think it was anyone at Marino High. As a famous singer, Austin surely had met some other girls on tour or whatnot, they pointed out. However, no one was really sure.

"I don't like how everyone's gossiping now," Carrie said to Dez, the two caught in a crowd of gossiping students. "Piper, Kira, and all the imaginary girls don't deserve this. If it was Brooke, then only Brooke should get in trouble."

"Did you say it was Brooke?" Kimmy exclaimed, catching everyone's attention.

"No, uh," Dez improvised, "she said it was book! It was a book! A book harassed Austin... yeah. It's pretty sad."

Everyone ignored him and more than a few people rolled their eyes. Dez was ridiculous.

"I can't believe it!" Kimmy exclaimed, drawing a bigger crowd around. "To think I ever agreed with her! She's just a liar!"

"Don't say such bad things about other people!" Carrie said, knowing full well that Brooke deserved every word. "And I didn't say it was Brooke!"

"What about me?" Brooke said, appearing around a corner.

"You're a liar!" Kimmy exclaimed. "You were the one who harassed Austin, weren't you? You made him miserable and you ruined his career. Why would you do such an awful thing?"

"Me?" she laughed, maybe a bit nervously. "Why would you think it was me?"

"Denial won't get you anywhere!" Kimmy retorted.

"Well, why don't you ask Austin himself?" Brooke challenged. "I'm sure he can confirm for you."

"I will!" she replied, seemingly angrily.

"He'll tell you I'm not the one, that's for sure!"

"Are you sure?" a voice said quietly.

Although it was getting loud, everyone turned to look. A few people gasped, and most started murmuring.

"Brooke, lying won't get you anywhere." Austin said firmly. "I'm not going to give in to you anymore."

* * *

 **Author's note: thanks for reading! I hope it was okay. The next update will take a while because I have 2 school concerts, 3 piano competitions, 3 math competitions, and a robotics competition! (Also potentially a programming competition) Yikes. There will probably only be one or two more chapters. In the meantime, feedback is appreciated!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's note: It's been weeks since I've last updated, and it's been even busier than I thought. Here is the last chapter of Teenage Trials; I hope it's alright!**

* * *

"Brooke, I'm done with you pushing me around." Austin stated firmly. "First, I thought you were just being annoying. Then I thought it was mean, and creepy, and then I realized that what you did was completely wrong and awful. It's called _harassment_ , and you can't make me like you by forcing me to date you. I won't get into everything you made me do, because I'm sure we both know, but you can't harass me into doing what you want anymore."

By now, a large crowd had gathered, preventing Brooke from running away. Not that she would. She was ready to take Austin down, even if she knew she had already lost the fight.

"We don't want to get into legal matters here," Ally added, "but if it's necessary, we won't be afraid. You've been the reason why Austin still hasn't had his comeback concert, and that kind of damage to his career has serious consequences. I hope you can see what you've done and help to fix things. If not, we have much more legal experience than you, and I'm not sure if you want to get into that."

"Look," Brooke said to the crowd of students, "surely you won't believe those two?"

There was some muttering and shaking heads, when suddenly, Dez shouted, "Come on, who's with Austin?"

A cheer rose from the crowd, and chants of "Austin, Austin" drowned out Brooke's protests. The hallway grew noisier until some teachers noticed.

"Alright, kids, what's going on?" Coach Simmons shouted. "Stop with all the noise! Who's responsible for this mess?"

"It was me, Coach Simmons," Austin replied. "I'm sorry for all the noise. We were having a really important conversation about harassment protection and reporting. If you want, we can stop."

Coach Simmons sighed. "No, no, carry on. Just try to keep it down. We're having a meeting."

He left, sighing and shaking his head. As soon as he had re-entered the meeting room, the students laughed.

"Brooke, we're done with you bullying us!" Carrie exclaimed. "Marino High has to be a safer, more supportive community. Who's with me?"

A cheer rose from the crowd of students.

"Let's all help to rebuild Team Austin!" Dez suggested to his peers. "We can start a campaign for Austin's comeback concert!"

"No need for that," Kira's voice cut through the enthusiastic conversation. "I've already talked to my dad. Brooke, he's pretty mad at you. It took a lot of convincing, but now he's not afraid to file a lawsuit against you if he needs to. Cancelling Austin's comeback concert cost him a lot, you know."

"But has he rescheduled the concert?" Trish asked. "As Austin's manager, of course we need to-"

"No worries, Trish!" Kira interrupted, causing her to frown, but what she said next made them all smile. "Austin's performing in a week at the huge concert hall downtown. Tickets are on sale tonight! Make sure you all get them fast!"

At this news, an even louder cheer rose from the students. They all loved Austin's music, even the guys who were a little jealous of his popularity. They were his biggest supporters, even if not all of them would always admit it.

"That's amazing, Kira!" Ally exclaimed, standing right next to her but barely able to hear anything over the rest of the noise. "Thank you so much. I can't believe you did this all for Austin. It means a lot to him."

The two turned to face Austin, who was grinning from ear to ear and overwhelmed by the support from all of the students. Even Miles, who never spoke, was cheering Austin's name.

"Hey, where's Brooke?" Dez asked, turning to Carrie.

She looked around and shrugged. "I don't see her. Maybe she got away."

At this point, Brooke hardly mattered. The main focus was to support Austin and re-establish his career, and everyone was thrilled about his upcoming concert. They all knew that Brooke would probably try to bother them in the future, but they knew how to handle it.

As the other students noticed Brooke's absence, they all continued to chatter. Unlike Austin and his closest friends, they were feeling worried.

"Where's Brooke?"

"We let her get away!"

"Now she's out to get all of us!"

Miles was the most surprising of all, yelling louder than everyone else about how Brooke was out for revenge. He was always scared of her, and he felt that by joining Austin, it made Brooke hate him even more. It wasn't really true; Brooke didn't really care a thing about Miles, but he thought so nonetheless.

"Come on, everyone," Trish called, "don't be afraid of Brooke. We all have to stand up for ourselves, and when we're not strong enough to do that, we know that we have each other to support us. Marino High is a strong community, and we're always looking out for each other. It was only this time with Brooke that it took everyone a while to see what was going on."

"Yeah," Ally agreed, "we're all friends here, and if anyone ever tries to bully us around again, we have each other to get through it."

The group of students cheered in agreement just as Coach Simmons returned, walking out into the hall.

"What's going on, kids?" he exclaimed, exasperated. "I told you, we're having a meeting! Can you keep it down?"

There were some mutters of "Okay, coach," and "Sorry, coach," and most of the students grew silent, until Dez exclaimed, "No way, Coach! We're having a great discussion here! Remember what you said to us, communication is key in all sports! Well, this might not be a sport, but communication is still key!"

He grinned widely and held his hand up to Coach Simmons for a high five. Coach Simmons just sighed and walked away. As soon as he re-entered the meeting room, everyone laughed. Dez was right. Open and truthful communication was really key to supporting each other.

Austin turned to his closest friends, Ally, Trish, Dez, Carrie, Piper, and Kira. "Thanks so much, guys. You're all the best."

"It all worked out, didn't it," Piper said, receiving agreement from the whole group.

"It's not all over yet, though," Ally pointed out, "we still have a career and a reputation to rebuild. But we're getting there. We're going to get there."

Everyone nodded. Their work was hardly done, and they would all need to help to re-establish Austin's place in the music world, but they all knew that they could do it. With each other, they always could.

* * *

 **Author's note: thanks for reading! If you made it through this whole fic, thank you so much and sorry for the slow updates and constantly changing plot line. I'm probably going to take a little break from fanfiction for a bit, just because the rest of this school year is going to be super busy, but I might be able to write a few oneshots. In the meantime, constructive criticism is appreciated!**


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